I've heard from various people that Last Call is a really good novel, and I happened to remember that fact the last time I was at the library, so I took out a copy. It was written by Tim Powers, published in 1992, and it's about a professional Poker player named Scott Crane, and how he discovers that the world is controlled by magic, a magic that resides in games of chance and in the archetypes represented in the Tarot. It's a power that's centered in Las Vegas that could make him the secret King of all the Earth - or destroy his soul and leave him an empty slave for all eternity.

I actually don't want to go into a great deal of detail about the plot, or the characters, or the way the magic works, because one of the most entertaining things about the book is slowly discovering all of that for yourself as the story goes on. Suffice it to say, it's all quite brilliant. I've always said that Stephen King is a fantastic storyteller (in that he has the ability to make you desperately need to know what happens next), but a crummy writer (in that his stories are often ultimately pretty pointless, and his narration and dialogue are often clumsily obvious and even a bit cheesy). Tim Powers, however, has the storytelling ability and imagination of Stephen King combined with a powerful ability to write subtle, realistic, believable characters and dialogue. It's a stunning mixture of talents that has allowed him to produce one of the greatest novels I've ever read. It's one of those books that, once begun, you not only want to read whenever you have a free moment, but that you also want to find a way to read while driving, while walking, while eating, while working. It's an addiction. It will swallow you into its world and it will haunt you. And you'll be grateful for it.

In other words, I highly recommend Last Call. Especially to leo, because most of the action take place in Las Vegas. :)

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Welcome to the blog of Jim Genzano, writer, web developer, husband, father, and enjoyer of things like the internet, movies, music, games, and books. For a more detailed run-down of who I am and what goes on here, read this.